T Is for Trust
by A.S. Mitchell
Summary: and Raphael doesn't know if he'll ever want to trust a human again. 1990 movies verse.


_*****__I found my VHS copy of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" in a box the other day, and decided to do something with my free time. I forgot how much I was into the live action movies as a kid. If there's another area for these, I apologize. I did look. Critique welcome._

_There is no excuse for this._

* * *

He should have followed Mikey when he'd had the chance. Now it was nearing curfew, and home was still a long ways off. To make matters worse, if he was late, there wouldn't even be be _chaperoned_ trips to the surface, for anyone. That prospect alone should have been enough to drive him back into the sewers, but she was young and alone, walking along in the dark like it was no big deal, and he was an idiot.

Raphael held his breath, debating.

It wasn't his problem. It wasn't his _business_. Whether or not she got to where ever she was going _wasn't _his responsibility. He kept an eye out, anyway. He was sure Master Splinter had said something about protecting those who couldn't protect themselves, and anyway, if he didn't know what happened, her face would stay with him forever. He might learn to ignore it, but it would always be there.

Cursing under his breath, Raphael began to follow her.

The sidewalks were empty, but several windows still glowed with promises of cold beer and warm food. He was beginning to regret his decision when he caught a glimpse of someone trailing behind her. It wasn't until several blocks later when he began to worry. The girl eventually turned a corner, and the figure followed. Raphael saw something glint in his hand.

It was over before it began. In the blink of an eye, he heard the sickening sound of bone snapping and metal striking concrete. The figure tore his mangled wrist back with a mad howl and retreated into the dark. She searched for her protector, but did not find him. He wanted to talk to her. Ask her if she was all right, where she was headed, why she was so stupid. He bit his tongue. Eventually she gave up looking and began walking again.

"How far away does this freakin' kid live?" he asked himself, wondering what the time was. He anticipated a lecture when he got home. Two, maybe, if Leo was in another 'higher than thou art' mood. Still, he had a feeling even Leo would have stuck around.

He sighed, dropping silently onto a fire escape a few feet ahead, and waited for her to pass. He was taken by surprise when something small and hard smacked him in the face.

"Who are you!" a voice challenged as he pressed a hand to his face and growled. "I know you're following me."

"How the-" Raph began to say when she threw another rock at him.

"Hey, cut it out, twerp," he shouted, causing her to jump in surprise. She looked startled for a second, but then resumed scowling in his general direction.

Tough kid.

"Why are you following me?"

"I'm not! I'm..." okay, so he was following her. "I wanted to make sure you got home in one piece."

He grimaced. He sounded like Leo.

"I can take care of myself." This time, the rock missed and bounced off the wall behind him. She bent down and picked up her books. "Get lost, creep!"

Creep? Raphael fumed. He watched her turn her nose up and walk off, clutching her books (and a rock, just in case) in her hands.

Fine. Go, he thought. See if I care.

He grumbled something along the lines of 'ungrateful brat' and 'little punk,' and began searching for a street sign then the nearest manhole. He wrestled with his conscious the whole way, and in the middle of peeling back the heavy steel grate, his conscious won. He dropped it with a loud clatter and took off, hoping he wasn't too late.

He found her walking down an alleyway, hair bouncing with every step. She seemed oblivious to the fact that she was a walking target for perverts and lowlifes, Raphael didn't understand, and it infuriated him that she didn't seem to care.

"How far away from here do you live?" he asked.

The girl froze and spun around, brandishing the rock.

"I told you to get lost!"

"Believe me, I'd love to," he muttered lowly. That attitude of hers was getting old, fast. "Funny thing, my conscious won't let me."

She surprised him by saying, "I won't go home until you leave me alone, you know. I'll just keep walking in circles all night if I have to."

Great, he thought with a roll of his eyes. That was exactly what he needed.

"I've got all night, kid," he lied through grated teeth.

Okay, so she was an ungrateful, rude little snot. That didn't mean she didn't deserve to be safe. She was someone's kid, after all. She had people that cared about her.

"What are you doing following people, anyway?" the girl demanded.

No point in answering that. He wondered if Master Splinter had sent anyone out to look for him. He winced at the thought of running into Leo out here.

"Are you still there?"

"Don't you got somewhere to be?" he snapped, louder than he meant.

"Don't you?" she shot back, the ire in her voice unmistakable.

"What's with the attitude?" he asked at last. "I'm here tryin' to do you a favor, and you're givin' me nothin' but lip. Come on, kid, work with me here."

"I told you, I can take care of myself."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"So that guy back there, the one with the knife. You'da handled that, right?" he sneered. "Don't be stupid."

The girl blinked several times in surprise, her brow furrowing. "That was you that saved me, wasn't it?"

"Gee, what _ever_ gave ya that idea?"

There was no getting into this kids head. It was like arguing with Mikey; he never stood a chance at winning.

"So if you aren't going to hurt me, why are you hiding?" She began to lean into the shadows, looking hard. Raph felt his heart skip a beat. "Come out, into the light."

Something bumped into a garage can on the other side of the street. She yelped and looked away for an instant. Raphael used that second to relocate.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," he said.

She turned to the direction of his voice. "Why not?"

He ran a hand down his face, stifling an annoyed sigh.

"I just don't. Ain't your parents gonna be worried about you?" he almost immediately regretted his words. "You got a home, right?"

"Yes, I have a home," she barked, bending down to pick up her books. "You're awfully bossy for someone who won't even show his face."

"I'm tellin' you-"

She began squinting into the darkness again, asking excitedly, "are you disfigured or something?"

"Er, no-"

"Then let me see."

He had no answer for her. She didn't understand, he couldn't just go show his face like that. He shouldn't even have talked to her. He should have gone directly home after snapping that scum's wrist.

"Fine," she clucked, shrugging. "Be a wimp."

"You're really starting to piss me off." He let that hang in the air while he thought of what to do. "You got a watch? What time is it?"

No answer. She wasn't budging.

He clenched his teeth and growled. Oh yeah, he was dead. He might as well not even come home, now. He stood a better chance topside.

"If I show you, you can't say _anything_ to _anybody_," he said, his voice taking on a gravely tone. He couldn't believe how stupid he was about to be. "Ever. You gotta swear."

"Why not?"

"Do you swear or not?"

"Fine, I swear."

He licked his lips, eyes daring around anxiously. "And you'll go home right after?"

"Maybe," she said crassly.

Maybe. He snorted. Maybe this kid being so headstrong was a good thing, and maybe she really would go home after. He'd never revealed himself to anyone on purpose before; the thought made his heart beat uncontrollably. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, he thought, she didn't seem to be even the least bit afraid to be outside on the street after dark.

"Don't scream," he said quietly, stepping out of the shadow until his torso was visible.

The girl's eyes widened in surprise. She blinked, books sliding right out of her hands and into a puddle, and Raphael watched in horror as her lips began to form a small 'O'. She let loose squeal that bounced off the alley walls and shot up into the sky. She ran the whole way home without stopping to catch her breath.

Disheartened, he headed home, trying to tell himself that the look in her eyes didn't bother him, that it hadn't phased him. He'd done what he'd felt was right, even if all he got in return was a slap in the face. He decided that maybe Leo was right. Maybe the human's welfare wasn't his responsibility.

He still wasn't so sure, but he least he had plenty of time to mull it over before he was allowed topside again.


End file.
